System and method for intelligent merchandise indicator and product information provision

ABSTRACT

A system and method for identifying a consumer through use of a number of common technologies, accessing a persistent data store of the consumer&#39;s preferences, comparing these preferences to articles for sale which are on display in the proximity of the consumer, and alerting the user to displayed sample products which match the consumer&#39;s preferences. The system and method may also query an inventory management system to determine if a matching product is in stock, as well as provide for the automatic transmission of detailed product data for said matching products to the consumer&#39;s e-mail address or other persistent computing device such as a wireless networked personal digital assistant, web-enabled wireless telephone or an Internet appliance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to the arts of intelligent merchandisedisplays, automatic inventory determination and product informationexchange.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Shopping experiences had by consumers when shopping “online”using the Internet are still distinctly different from shoppingexperiences in real “bricks-and-mortar” stores. Due to the limitationsof transmitting images and photographs of products over the Internet andthe extreme convenience of being able to physically touch, pick up, andlook at real products in a real store, many shopper still favor shoppingin bricks-and-mortar stores.

[0005] For example, the shoe display as shown FIG. 1 is typical ofdisplays found in stores, which include a base display (32) and possiblyadditional display tiers (34) upon which a plurality of items (35, 36)for sale are displayed. This general display paradigm is used for avariety of product types, including clothing, electronics, books, etc.

[0006] An alternate display fixture to such a freestanding fixture asshown in FIG. 1 are shelf-based fixtures and wall-based fixtures, suchas slatwalls and gridwall fixtures. These fixtures, as well, offer theability to display multiple items for sale which can be quickly andconveniently scanned by a consumer passerby, and handled if desired bythe consumer.

[0007] Turning to FIG. 2, two examples are given of display accessoriesfor such retail fixtures, including shoe risers (21) and shoe “faceouts”(22). The risers, typically made of clear acrylic or plastic, allow ashoe to be placed on top of the riser, which is then placed on thesurface or tier of the display fixture. This allows more verticaldimensions to be created in the display beyond the number of tiers inthe fixture. The faceouts allow a shoe to be mounted on a slatwall orgridwall in a similar fashion. Common faceouts and risers provide meansfor holding descriptive placards and price tags, and may be imprintedwith a brand or logo. For other types of merchandise, such as books orelectronics, similar display accessories are available to give verticalposition to individual product samples. All of these display fixturesand accessories are well-known in the art.

[0008] As a consumer passerby approaches a display fixture, he or sheattains a vantage point (31) from which the display designer or arrangerintended the products to be viewed, as shown in FIG. 3 in a perspectivefrom above such a display fixture. From this vantage point, the consumermay visually survey all of the displayed items (35, 36), possibly pickup and examine one or more items, and if interested, contact a salesperson for more information. The general paradigm of merchandise displaycan be applied equally well to window displays.

[0009] At this point, though, the shopping experience in abricks-and-mortar store takes on a disadvantage compared to the onlineshopping experience. Continuing with our example of shoe shopping, aconsumer finds a shoe sample on a display fixture which he or she wouldlike to “try on”, or about which he or she has questions. Now, theconsumer must find an available sales person, which may takeconsiderable time, to ask any questions he or she may have. Or, if theconsumer wants to “try on” a pair of shoes or buy a pair of shoes in hisor her size, the sales person must check inventory for that model andsize, retrieve the item from stock, and proceed with the sale. If theconsumer has detailed questions, such as “How long is the warranty onthis product?”, or “Is this real leather on the upper?”, etc., it maytake quite some time for the sales person to retrieve the neededinformation.

[0010] By contrast, during an online shopping experience, this phase ismuch more convenient to the consumer. He or she may simply input his orher size and/or retrieve full technical specifications for the productimmediately, without the need to wait for a sales person to assist himor her. Additionally, if the consumer wants to save a copy of theinformation in order to wait to purchase the item later, he or she maysimply print the information from his or her computer and save it forlater, while in the bricks-and-mortar store, rarely are extra copies ofproduct information or brochures available nor are copiers readilyavailable.

[0011] This often causes many consumers to browse a physical store tosurvey all the products available, and to later make their purchasesonline for items they have previously seen. As is well known in theretail sales industry, any time a sale can be completed in a real store,opportunities to make collateral sales as well as to establish an actualpersonal rapport with the customer are had, but when a customerphysically leaves a store, these opportunities are lost.

[0012] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system and methodwhich assists a consumer in determining if an item displayed on andisplay fixture is in stock according to his or her preferences, such asstyle, color or size. Further, there is a need in the art for thissystem and method to conveniently provide product information for laterreview by the consumer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The following detailed description when taken in conjunction withthe figures presented herein provide a complete disclosure of theinvention.

[0014]FIG. 1 shows a typical multi-tiered retail product displayfixture.

[0015]FIG. 2 illustrates several well-known accessories for displayfixtures.

[0016]FIG. 3 provides a top-down view of a display arrangement relativeto an intended vantage point for a consumer.

[0017]FIG. 4 discloses a system architecture for the invention.

[0018]FIG. 5 sets forth the logical process of the method of theinvention.

[0019]FIG. 6 illustrates the communications or actions in the inventivemethod between various components of the preferred embodiment.

[0020]FIG. 7 illustrates the enhanced display accessories which includeindicators for drawing a consumer's attention to a particular displayeditem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The present invention provides a system and method foridentifying a consumer through use of a number of common technologies,accessing a persistent data store of the consumer's preferences,comparing these preferences to articles for sale which are on display inthe proximity of the consumer, and alerting the user to displayed sampleproducts which match the consumer's preferences. The system and methodmay also query an inventory management system to determine if a matchingproduct is in stock, as well as provide for the automatic transmissionof detailed product data for said matching products to the consumer'se-mail address or other persistent computing device such as a wirelessnetworked personal digital assistant, web-enabled wireless telephone oran Internet appliance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The system and method of the invention provides a means forauthenticating and leveraging a persistent store of personalpreferences, such as a database, to assist a consumer in his or hershopping in a real “bricks-and-mortar” store. The authentication processcoupled with the personal preferences are then used to ascertain whethera certain item is in stock, meets parameters specified by the consumerin his or her preferences, is able to be shipped to the consumer, etc.,by referencing a Supply Chain Management (SCM) or other “backend” systemin a seamless manner to immediately provide feedback to the consumer ofthe current status of the item on physical display. As such, byutilizing the invention, a bricks-and-mortar retailer may provide theadvantages of real-world shopping, including the ability to touch andhandle sample items for sale, and to provide the immediate feedback andinformation as needed by the consumer regarding specific stock positionof an item, product information, etc., typically only available viaonline shopping.

[0023] Turning to FIG. 4, the architecture of the invention is shown. Atthe heart of the system is a consumer tag (41) device of some sort. Manydevices are available for this purpose in the art, including the smallradio-frequency identification (RFID) tags used for product theftdetection. These small devices transmit a code by radio signals whenenergy is induced into them by a emitter, typically located near thedoors of a retail establishment. This code can then be received anddecoded by a small receiver, and can be commanded to disable themselvesusing a return transmission to the tag, such as is done at apoint-of-sale terminal when the item has been purchased.

[0024] In our system, though, the RFID tag is preferrably used toidentify the consumer, not a product. For example, the RFID can beembedded in a “frequent buyer” card or store credit card, and keyed tothe name or customer number of the consumer.

[0025] Matched to the technology of the consumer tag (41) is a consumeridentifier unit (42) equipped with an appropriate transceiving device(43) such as an antenna in the preferred embodiment. The consumeridentifier unit (42) in the preferred embodiment is similar to theanti-theft units commonly found at the doorways or exits of retailestablishments, except in this case, they are modified or enhanced todrive a number of display unit indicators (44), and to communicate via acomputer network (45), which will be discussed in more detail later inthis disclosure.

[0026] Other readily available technologies, however, may be employedfor the consumer tag (41), consumer identifier unit (42) andtransceiving device (43), such as a magnetic-striped card and cardreader (“card swiper”), and RFkey fob with RF reader similar to theRF-ID device used for gasoline purchases at some gasoline stations, oreven the emerging Bluetooth technology which allows devices such as cellphones and watches to communicate with other units. Any means forpositively and preferably wirelessly determining the identity of theconsumer is acceptable for these functions in the system.

[0027] Continuing with the description of the consumer identifier unit(42), it is provided with an interconnection to a computer network (45),such as a local area network (LAN), infra-red network (IR), wirelessLAN, or the Internet. Also interconnected to the computer network (45)is a consumer preferences server (46) which has a consumer preferencespersistent datastore (47) such as a database.

[0028] The consumer identifier unit (42) is adapted to requestpreferences for a particular consumer from the consumer preferencesserver (46) via the computer network, and to receive the preferencesfrom the server (46). The consumer identifier unit (42) may thenactivate one or more display unit indicators (44) to attract theattention of the consumer and to indicate that a product meets ormatches the consumer's preferences.

[0029] It is important to note that the use of separate consumeridentifier units (42) and preference servers (46) interconnected by acomputer network is a facet of the preferred embodiment, but does notpreclude the integration of these units into one device, therebyobviating the need for the computer network.

[0030] According to the preferred embodiment, the display unitindicators (44) are high-intensity light emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted(73) on or near display accessories for the display fixture, as shown inFIG. 7. These LED's are driven by wires connected to the consumeridentifier unit (42). In one enhanced embodiment, the display unitindictors may be alphanumeric displays, such as liquid crystal displays(LCD), so that detailed information may be displayed. In an even moreadvanced embodiment, a computer-driven projector such as those commonlyused for making presentations may be mounted above the display fixturesuch that images may be projected onto or around the displayed productsamples which match the consumer's preferences.

[0031] The consumer identifier unit (42) may be mounted on the front orunderneath the surface of the display fixture itself, or alternativelyin a nearby fixture or even on the ceiling above the fixture. Wires orleads to the indicators may be concealed under the surface of thedisplay fixture or covered with a cloth or other decorative product.

[0032] The consumer preferences server (46) and persistent preferencesdatastore (47) is preferably an IBM WebSphere Enterprise system, whichis well known in the art and can be readily adapted to the functionspecified herein. Alternatively, any suitable server system and softwaresuite may be employed. The individual consumer records and preferencedata may be configured by a system administrator, such as bytranscribing information from a consumer survey or profile form, orentered via another networked computer such as a web browser using webforms. The preferences data may include the consumer's clothing sizes,color preferences, style preferences (e.g. traditional, trendy, country,etc.), age, race or ethnic background, income level, or any otherdemographic which may be useful in helping determine which products maybe of interest to a consumer and whether or not an item matching his orher preferences is in stock.

[0033] The SCM (402) is also preferably available via a computernetwork, if not integrated to the consumer preferences database. The SCM(402) provides information on a query-basis regarding actual stock ofspecific products from a store inventor (403).

[0034] So, using our shoe shopping example, consider a young femaleshopper who wears size 7 shoes and prefers trendy styles. Additionally,blue is her favorite color, and she prefers to spend less than $75 on apair of shoes. This information is configured into the consumerpreferences database (47).

[0035] During a shopping trip at a store, a multi-tiered display of 15shoes is encountered by our shopper, which happens to be equipped withthe invention, and she is carrying a “frequent buyer” card for the storehaving a RFID embedded in it.

[0036] As she approaches the display, the RFID tag enters into theproximity of the consumer identifier unit, and through an electronicexchange, she is identified. Then, the consumer identifier unit queriesthe consumer preference server, and receives the shopper's preferences(shoe size=7, fav_color=blue, fav_style=trendy, max_price=$75.00).

[0037] The consumer identifier unit then queries the SCM for stockposition of each of the shoes displayed on the fixture which are fromtrendy collections, size 7, under $75, and preferably blue in color. TheSCM returns a message to the consumer identifier unit that 2 models ofshoes on the display fixture are in stock, so the consumer identifierunit activates the two indicators (LED's) associated with those tosamples.

[0038] The consumer, then, sees an immediate LED illumination under ornear two shoe samples on the display fixture as she approaches thedisplay, which immediately attracts her attention to the shoes andinforms her that they are actually in stock and available, withoutneeding to find an available sales person. She may proceed to physicallyexamine the samples, if desired.

[0039] Returning to FIG. 4, details of an enhanced embodiment are shownincluding a consumer computer (48), and/or a consumer pervasive device(400) such as a web-enabled or wireless applications protocol (WAP)wireless telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA), either of whichare communicably interconnected to the consumer preferences server (46)via a computer network (45).

[0040] Additional functionality is added to either the store inventorserver (402) or preferably to the consumer preferences server (46) whichallows the consumer to receive electronic copies of informationregarding the products seen on the display fixture, such as productspecifications or brochures. This information can be delivered by e-mailif the consumer's e-mail address is configured in the preferencesdatabase (47), or it could be a web page created especially for the useron the retailer's web site. For example, continuing with our shoeshopping scenario, information such as catalog pages in the form ofHyper Text Markup Language (HTML) pages could be automatically e-mailedto our hypothetical shopper's consumer computer using Simple MailTransfer Protocol (SMTP) for her review later. Or, the same informationcould be transmitted to her PDA with wireless interface so that shecould browse the information while standing in front of the display.

[0041] This latter function (receipt and browsing of the informationwhile physically present at the display fixture) is especially usefulfor situations such as electronics displays or food displays where theinformation may be highly technical or detailed. For example, a shopperlooking for the “perfect” MP3 electronic music player may be comparing20 or 30 parameters, including memory size, unit weight, battery life,computer interface, etc. An electronic copy of the product(s)specifications could be delivered to his wireless networked PDA while hestands in front of a display having 15 MP3 players on it, 4 of which arehighlighted by indicators as matching his preferences.

[0042] Turning to FIG. 5, the logical flow (50) of the method of theinvention is shown. The process is typically started (51) when aconsumer moves into the proximity of a proximity-activated consumeridentification unit such as an RFID reader, or upon action by theconsumer such as swiping a card with a magnetic strip or submitting abar code for reading on a user ID card. Immediately, the consumer'sidentification is determined from the consumer tag, and the consumer'spreferences are retrieved (53) from the preferences data store (47).

[0043] Next, store inventor (403) is checked and compared (54) to theconsumer's preferences, such as checking for items which match theconsumer's size, favorite color, or other specification such as MP3players under $200.

[0044] If any matches are found, the display indicators associated withthe samples on the display fixture are activated to draw the consumer'sattention to those items, and to confirm automatically that stockmatching the preferences is available. In the most fundamentalembodiment of the invention (56), the method may end next (57).

[0045] According to the enhanced embodiment of the invention, moredetailed information may be retrieved (58) for the matching items, suchas product brochures or specifications, and this information istransmitted (59) to the consumer's computer or pervasive device.

[0046]FIG. 6 illustrates the logical flow of communications related tothe steps disclosed in FIG. 5 for better understanding of the preferredembodiment.

[0047] Turning now to FIG. 7, enhanced display accessories such asproduct risers (71) and faceouts (72) are shown in which LED's (73) areprovided on a viewable face of the accessories to form the displayindicators of the preferred embodiment.

[0048] While a preferred embodiment has been disclosed in detail andcertain alternate and enhancements have been given, it will berecognized by those skilled in the art that some variations andsubstitutions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Likewise, it will also be readily recognized by thoseskilled in the art that the examples given herein are for illustrativepurposes only, and do not form limitations as to the usefulness,applicability or objectives of the invention. Therefore, the scope ofthe present invention should be determined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for indicating that a product or item ondisplay matches a set of consumer preferences comprising the steps of:establishing an identity of a consumer; accessing a persistent datastoreto retrieve a set of preferences associated with said consumer identity;determining if any products on display match said preferences; andproviding an indicator associated with products which match saidpreferences such that said consumer is alerted to the presence of theproducts.
 2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step ofestablishing the identity of a consumer is selected from the group ofreading a radio frequency identifier tag, reading a bar code, reading amagnetic stripe, and receiving input of a personal identifier code. 3.The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of accessing apersistent datastore comprises accessing a database.
 4. The method asset forth in claim 1 wherein said step of determining if any productsmatch said preferences includes a step from the group of matching aconsumer size, matching a preferred color, and matching a preferredprice.
 5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step ofproviding an indicator associated with products which match saidpreferences includes a step from the group of illuminating a lamp,illuminating a light emitting diode, and providing a text display. 6.The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:retrieving an information data set associated with said products whichmatch said preferences; and transmitting said information data set to apreferred electronic destination associated with said consumer such thatsaid consumer may collect said information data set for review andreference.
 7. The method as set forth in claim 6 wherein said step oftransmitting said information data set comprises transmitting anelectronic mail message to an electronic mail address.
 8. The method asset forth in claim 6 wherein said step of transmitting said informationdata set comprises transmitting an electronic file to a electronic mailaddress.
 9. The method as set forth in claim 6 wherein said step oftransmitting said information data set comprises transmitting anelectronic mail message to a persistent computing device selected fromthe group of an Internet-enabled wireless telephone, a wirelessnetworked personal digital assistant, and a wireless Internet browserappliance.
 10. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising thesteps of: accessing an inventory datastore; and determining if a productwhich matches said preferences is also in stock.
 11. A computer readablemedium encoded with software for indicating that a product or item ondisplay matches a set of consumer preferences, said software causing acomputer to perform the steps of: establish an identity of a consumer;access a persistent datastore to retrieve a set of preferencesassociated with said consumer identity; determine if any products ondisplay match said preferences; and provide an indicator associated withproducts which match said preferences such that said consumer is alertedto the presence of the products.
 12. The computer readable medium as setforth in claim 11 wherein said software for establishing an identity ofa consumer is comprises software for performing a step selected from thegroup of reading a radio frequency identifier tag, reading a bar code,reading a magnetic stripe, and receiving input of a personal identifiercode.
 13. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 11 whereinsaid software for accessing a persistent datastore comprises softwarefor accessing a database.
 14. The computer readable medium as set forthin claim 11 wherein said software for determining if any products matchsaid preferences comprises software for performing a step from the groupof matching a consumer size, matching a preferred color, and matching apreferred price.
 15. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim11 wherein said software for providing an indicator associated withproducts which match said preferences includes a software for performinga step from the group of illuminating a lamp, illuminating a lightemitting diode, and providing a text display.
 16. The computer readablemedium as set forth in claim 11 further comprising software forperforming the steps of: retrieve an information data set associatedwith said products which match said preferences; and transmit saidinformation data set to a preferred electronic destination associatedwith said consumer such that said consumer may collect said informationdata set for review and reference.
 17. The computer readable medium asset forth in claim 16 wherein said software for transmitting saidinformation data set comprises software for transmitting an electronicmail message to an electronic mail address.
 18. The computer readablemedium as set forth in claim 16 wherein said software for transmittingsaid information data set comprises software for transmitting anelectronic file to an electronic mail address.
 19. The computer readablemedium as set forth in claim 11 wherein said software for transmittingsaid information data set comprises software for transmitting anelectronic mail message to a persistent computing device selected fromthe group of an Internet-enabled wireless telephone, a wirelessnetworked personal digital assistant, and a wireless Internet browserappliance.
 20. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 11further comprising software for performing the steps of: accessing aninventory datastore; and determining if a product which matches saidpreferences is also in stock.
 21. A system for indicating that a productor item on display matches a set of consumer preferences comprising: aconsumer identifier unit adapted to establish an identity of a consumer;a consumer preference retriever for accessing a persistent datastore toretrieve a set of preferences associated with said consumer identity; apreference comparitor which receives said set of preferences andcompares those to characteristics of products on display to determine ifany products match said preferences; and at least one indicatorassociated with a product display which, responsive to a match beingfound, is activated such that said consumer is alerted to the presenceof the matching product.
 22. The system as set forth in claim 21 whereinsaid consumer identifier unit is adapted to perform a function selectedfrom the group of reading a radio frequency identifier tag, reading abar code, reading a magnetic stripe, and receiving input of a personalidentifier code.
 23. The system as set forth in claim 21 wherein saidconsumer preference retriever is adapted to access a database.
 24. Thesystem as set forth in claim 21 wherein said preference comparitor isadapted to perform a function from the group of matching a consumersize, matching a preferred color, and matching a preferred price. 25.The system as set forth in claim 21 wherein said indicator comprises anindicator from the group of a lamp, a light emitting diode, and a textdisplay.
 26. The system as set forth in claim 21 further comprising aproduct information data set retriever for retrieving informationassociated with said product which matches said preferences; and aninformation data set transmitter adapted to transmit said informationdata set to a preferred electronic destination associated with saidconsumer such that said consumer may collect said information data setfor review and reference.
 27. The system as set forth in claim 26wherein said information data set transmitter is adapted to transmit anelectronic mail message to an electronic mail address.
 28. The system asset forth in claim 26 wherein said information data set transmitter isadapted to transmit an electronic file to a electronic mail address. 29.The system as set forth in claim 26 wherein said information data settransmitter is adapted to transmit an electronic mail message to apersistent computing device selected from the group of anInternet-enabled wireless telephone, a wireless networked personaldigital assistant, and a wireless Internet browser appliance.
 30. Thesystem as set forth in claim 21 further comprising an inventorydatastore query processor for accessing an inventory control system todetermine if a product which matches said preferences is also in stock.